Not until nearly an hour had passed did either of the keepers come down-stairs, and then it was Uncle Zenas who entered the kitchen, exclaiming as he saw the preparations for supper:
"I declare for it, Sonny, you've done the work up in proper shape! I wouldn't have believed sich a little chap had it in him to look after things so well!"
"Is Mr. Peters any better, sir?" Sidney asked, feeling more than a little ashamed because of being praised when he believed it was not deserved.
"I'm hopin' he is, Sonny. He came to long enough to ask how we knew he was adrift, an' then it seemed as if he fell off to sleep. Cap'n Eph. is sittin' with him so's I can get supper; but, 'cordin' to the looks of things, it's already got."
"Do you think Mr. Peters hurt himself in any way?"
"It must be, Sonny, else he wouldn't act so kind of queer. All Cap'n Eph an' I can figger out is that he got squeezed in some way between the timbers of the raft, for it stands to reason he didn't put 'em together very carefully. Oh Sonny, Sonny, if only I hadn't refused to give the poor fellow his breakfast when he asked for it! Somehow I felt last night as if it wasn't right for him to go off to the wreck alone, an' when he came down-stairs this mornin' reg'larly achin' to be off, I lost my temper, an' that's the fact. The worst part of this world is that after you say or do anythin' that's wrong or mean, you can't take it back agin! Jest as likely as not he'd be in better shape now, if he'd had a full stomach when he went away!"
Uncle Zenas paced to and fro as if in great mental distress, until Captain Eph stole softly down the stairs, and said:
"There's no question but that he's asleep, an' I thought I'd get a cup of coffee, for I'm chilled clean through to the bone. Brace yourself up, Zenas, an' don't take on so 'bout the words you had this mornin'. I'll venture to say that Sammy had forgot all about 'em by the time he went aboard the wreck."
Uncle Zenas refused to be comforted for some time; but by alternately scolding and coaxing, Captain Eph succeeded in soothing him to such an extent that he finally ate supper, much to Sidney's relief of mind.
All hands stood watch during the night. Sidney felt positive he could not close his eyes in slumber if he went to bed, and Captain Eph did not urge him, understanding full well how the lad felt. Uncle Zenas claimed that it was his right, because of what had happened in the morning, to sit by the side of Mr. Peters, even though it might not be possible to do him any good, and thus it was that the crew remained on duty throughout the hours of darkness.